General
- Native Cocoa application
- Simple and consistent layout
- Single window interface
- Automatic saving of all information during a predefined inactivity period
- Unlimited undo and redo
- Extensive keyboard short cuts support
- Each entry is immediately implemented
- Universal Binary
- Auto-update notifier
Integration with Mac OS X
- Synchronize project activities with iCal
- Ability to use resources from Apple Address Book
- Ability to use resources from MS Entourage
- E-mail reports directly from Merlin
- Search Merlin files via Spotlight
- Data copy and paste between other applications
Localization
Project Start
- Based on Merlin templates
- From NovaMind Mindmaps
- From MindManager Mindmaps
- From MS Project project files
- From Omni Outliner files and other OPML files
Project Basis
- Project calendars with optional non-working time
- Visual working hours definition
- Define Hours/Day, Hours/Week and Days/Week
- Combine multiple projects into one master project
Collaboration
- Collaborate with multiple Merlin users via the network
- Collaborate with multiple users using only a web browser
Project calendar
- Define project wide calendar
- Export and Import project calendars
- Load calendars via .ics format
Views
- Outline view with flexible choice of columns
- Interactive Gantt chart with flexible choice data labels
- Display of planned and actual values in the Gantt chart
- Display of project within a specific date range
- Interactive Netplan with automatic layout and zoom function
- Saving and re-calling workspaces, column sets and style sets
- Display of histogram showing assignees utilization
Library
- Drag and drop support for storing activities snippets
- Access Apple Address Book entries
Time calculation
- Forward calculation
- Backward calculation
- Precise start date and end date
- Earliest possible start with earliest and latest date
- Latest possible start with earliest and latest date
- Earliest possible end with earliest and latest date
- Latest possible end with earliest and latest date
- Independent input of duration and work for an activity
- Support for triple constraints
- Comparison between planned and actual values
Dependencies
- Support for predecessor and successor
- Finish-Start
- Start-Start
- Finish-Finish
- Start-Finish
- Support for lead and lag for all types of dependencies
Resources
- Management of resources in individual view
- Ability to use Address Book entries via Drag&Drop
- Ability to use MS Entourage entries via Drag&Drop
- Manual entry of new and current resources
- Classification of resources as person, materials, equipment, and company
- Specification of regular and overtime cost per hour
- Specification of resource cost per project or per assignment
- Resource costs handled in any units
- Define the resource default utilization
- Allocation of project roles
- Per resource calendar
-
- Definition of the duration for the resource in an activity
- Definition of the utilization of the resource in an activity
- Simple exchange of resources in the project
- Adjustable warning thresholds for the resource over utilization
Allocated Resources
- Display of the assigned resources below each activity
- Automatic Resource leveling
- Display of resource utilization
- Ability to link assigned resources within an activity
Resource Calendar
- Calendar for each resource
- Modify the regular working hours visually
- Define resource calendar exceptions
- Supplementary calendar definition for projects via .ics
|
Printing
- Specification of the grid size and number of pages
- Specification of page measurements
- Specification of the scaling
- Instant preview
- Support for Headers and footer
- Support for Project Logo
Conflicts
- Auto detection of conflicts
- Display of conflict causality
Budgets
- Budgets with authorization-workflow
- Project, phase and activity budgets
- Defining and calculating the budget in the top down and bottom up process
- Overview of the balance for each phase and activity
- Totalling the values and balances in the outline
Costs
- Full costing engine
- Unlimited base cost per activity
- Integrated cost calculations for Elements
- Overtime costs per project or resource
- Support for Start, End, Pro-rated, and immediate accrual
- Resource costs based on time, activities or lump sum
- Support for planned Vs. actual cost
Import
- Simple import of a file via Drag&Drop
- Import in the project outline to expand an existing project
- Import via menu "File - Open…"
- Merlin (1.x) via .merlin files
- Merlin (2.x) via .xml files
- NovaMind (2 or higher) via .nmind files
- MindManager (6 or higher) via .mmap files
- OmniOutliner (2 or higher) via .ooutline and .oo3 files
- OPML via .opml files
- Text via .csv files
- MS Project (98, 2000, 2002, 2003) via .mpp, .mpx and .xml files
- Calendar definition for projects via .merlinCalendar
- Supplementary calendar definition for projects via .ics
Export
- MS Project (98, 2000, 2002, 2003) via .mpx and .xml files
- Merlin (2.x) via .xml files
- iCal (1.x) via .ics files
- HTML via .html files (requires Web Module addon license)
- OPML via .opml files
- Images via jpg, tiff, png, gif, pdf and .bmp
- Contents of a view via txt, tsv and csv
- Each view as PDF via Preview
- Calendar definition for projects via .merlinCalendar
Project Reports
- Template based reporting
- usage of logos and images in reports
- Saving of reports as HTML and PDF
- Sending reports via Mail
Elements
- Attachment of elements to projects, phases and activities
- Elements displayed in all views
- Integration in the search system with saveable search lists
- Ability to add user-defined fields
Risk Management
- Attachment of multiple risks to projects, phases and activities
- Evaluation of all project risks
- Classification into risk levels (decrease, contingency plan, approved)
- Presumption of occurrence
- Consideration of the influence on targets, costs and deadlines
- Automatic calculation of risk factors
- Accounts evaluation with delay and costs
- Optional publication on the project website
- Using user-defined fields
- Cost calculation
File Management
- Attachment of files or e-Mails to projects, phases and activities
- Integrated version supervision
- Saving of files in the project
- Supervision of the files status (draft etc.)
- Using user-defined fields
- Cost calculation
Event Management
- Management of deadlines and events
- Attachments of deadlines to projects, phases and activities
- Using user-defined fields
- Cost calculation
Information Management
- Attachment of information to projects, phases and activities
- Illustration of Workflows
- Status supervision
- Using user-defined fields
- Cost calculation
Issue Management
- Attachment of many problems to projects, phases and activities
- Using user-defined fields
- Cost calculation
Checklists
- Incorporating as many check lists to projects, phases and activities
- Supervision of each point (not started, in process etc.)
- Using user-defined fields
- Cost calculation
|
